Holy Warriors: A Modern History of the Crusades Book

The Crusades are legendary; in the their own lifetime and in ours. Who can resist their sheer epic nature, unrivaled brutality and the classic struggle between Islam and Christianity, East and West, that perhaps holds a mirror up to our own modern world. The Crusades may have lasted less than 200 years (1099-1291) but their shadowy legacy lingers on in the world and continues to wield powerful cultural and historical influence over people today. From popular culture's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade to the George W. Bush's embarrassing depiction of the War on Terror as a crusade (much to Osama Bin Laden's unbridled glee), the crusading ideal continues to resonate with our current society in a myriad of either harmless or dangerous ways.

In Jonathon Philip's vivid and fast-paced retelling of these legendary conflicts for the fight for the Holy Land, Holy Warriors narrates the story of the Crusades between either epic, life-changing events such as the First Crusaders unbelievable capture of Jerusalem in 1099 or Sultan Baibars ruthless and unstoppable destruction of the Latin Outremer ( A strip of coastline from Antioch to Jaffa) in the 13th century or the remarkable of life stories of key players in the Crusades such as Melisende, Queen of Jerusalem, and Salah-al-Din (Saladin in western terms).

There is a duality to Holy Warriors in that Phillipp's never exclusively devotes all his energy and purpose to one side of the conflict. Instead his balanced and measured approach is sustained throughout the book with Philip's looking at monumental events from both sides. This gives Holy Warriors clarity and fairness in depicting the Crusades; both Christian and Muslim committed atrocities in the Name of their God?religion and Phillip's never lets the reader forget it.



This is a enthralling intro to the vicious world of the Crusades; Phillip's hold back no punches when he viscerally describes in gory detail the atrocities committed in blood-lust and revenge by BOTH sides in their struggle to dominate the Holy Land. The First Crusaders butcher, brutalize and pillage the innocent Muslim citizens of Jerusalem in 1099 and in 1291 the Muslim/Mamluk army under Al-Ashraf-Khalil overran the Christian city of Acre murdering its inhabitants without mercy and finally ending the Frankish presence of Christianity in the Holy Land.

This is history at its finest; there's no taking of sides, no demonisations of either Christians and Muslims, the Crusades are looked at through the context of their OWN times, no stupid anachronisms are found and this is simply a bloody brilliant read about the Crusades! I cannot stress how enjoyable it was to read this book and there are many a history guilty of the cardinal sin of simply being boring.

I mean how can the Crusades be boring? How can such a ruthless, blood-soaked and murderous era in history be transformed into something stuffy and sleep-inducing? That's some skill in itself in my opinion. Thankfully not only does Phillips write with zest and enthusiasm but his writing style is crisp and clear, to the point and never shies away from the horrors he has to write about. It is bold and compelling and greatly increases the enjoyment in reading Holy Warriors.

Phillip's book covers the entirety of the Crusades in Holy Land (and beyond with focus on the Balkans, the pagan countries of Northern Europe and the bitter reconquista of Spain from the Moors) and takes a panoramic view over the who, what, where, when, why and how of the Crusades. This is expansive and far-reaching overview of the Crusades and is suitable for beginners or for those already knowledgeable and wish to know more. Holy warriors is highly accessible and free of the execrable jargon that often clog up otherwise well-meaning history books.



This is the joint crowning of Queen Melisende of Jerusalem, daughter of King Baldwin II, and her husband King Fulk, formally Count of Anjou and Maine in France.



Sultan Baybars, Lion of Egypt, the man who did more to liberate the Holy Land (with savage cruelty) from the Christian Franks.

Without a doubt the highlight of Holy Warriors was learning more about the brilliant enigmatic figures of Queen Melisende of Jerusalem and Sultan Baybars of Egypt. These figures were clever, pragmatic and tenacious fighters in the fight for the Holy land and DESERVE to better known in the wider world.

Queen Melisende ruled Jerusalem in her own right in a time where women were feeble, weak and unable to to be clever. How can a women who co-ruled Jerusalem with her husband with resounding success in a patriarchal world not have more of a claim to fame? Sultan Baybars was a Kurdish Turk who was sold as a slave aged 14 to the Mamluks military force and rose inexorably through the rungs of power in Egypt, slaughtering all those who stood in his way, until he became the Sultan of Egypt. Again, how the hell is this guy not better known? He was a slave who became Sultan; talk about a medeival Darth Vader......

All in all, this is a fantastic and original retelling about the Crusades and their complicated, mixed-up modern day legacy. Told with enthusiasm and keen sense of realism, holy warriors is the perfect intro to the Crusades and the world they helped to shape. Just be prepared for gore. A lot of gore.